The Department of Education awarded a $33.9 million dollar grant to the Institute for Public School Initiatives at UT. The seven-year grant will support six school districts in Central and East Texas enrolled in the 2022 GEAR UP Partnership, a program devoted to improving college readiness among students.

The GEAR UP program helps low-income, first-generation students become more aware of, and ready for college and career options, post secondary liaison Noe Benavidez said.

Sixth and seventh graders of the six school districts — including San Marcos, Del Valle, Port Arthur, Jasper, and Lufkin — are automatically enrolled in the program and will receive services including tutoring, comprehensive mentoring, test prep and assistance with the college search and application process, Benavidez said.

“Ultimately, we want to see them persist and graduate,” said Connie Dawes, director of college readiness for the Institute of Public School Initiatives. “It’s a long-term investment, but an important one. We want to see them be successful in whatever path and career they choose.”

Lynn Torres, superintendent of Lufkin Independent School District, said she saw a great impact among her students, as this is the fifth GEAR UP opportunity for the district.

“The equalizer is having high expectations of everybody and building a system where you support all kids,” Torres said. “All kids need to have that same educational support.”

Torres said the GEAR UP grant especially helps first-generation college students by informing families of the benefits of post-secondary education and budgeting methods for college.

“It builds in children the roadmap of how they get (to college),” Torres said. “They’re not going to have anybody else in their family who has charted this path.”

This year’s GEAR UP grant has an emphasis on preparing students for high-demand industries and STEM subjects, as well as providing virtual mental health counseling for students, Dawes said.

“I’m excited there’s a mental health component to this because schools have suffered because of COVID,” Torres said. “We’ve got a lot of ground to make up for, and this will be an excellent model and target to make sure our kids are successful.”

The program will also take students on college tours outside their school district, Dawes said, an experience that allows students to encounter the college atmosphere and explore different options before applying to schools.

“The experience of traveling and getting out of their comfort zone, being away from their family — it makes them a better self-advocate,” Benavidez said. “They learn more about how they can go out of their comfort zone.”

The grant will follow all enrolled students through their first year of college, Dawes said.

“The world’s changing fast,” Benavidez said. “My hope is that we keep the students ready for that change that is coming and continues to come.”